Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes: high electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide and its application for biosensing.

This study compares the electrocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Results indicate that NCNTs possess a marked electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by an efficient four-electron process in the alkaline condition, while the process of MWCNTs is through a two-electron pathway. Meanwhile, NCNTs show a very attractive electrochemical performance for the redox reaction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and could be employed as a H2O2 sensor at a low potential of +0.3 V. The sensitivity of the NCNT-based biosensor reaches 24.5 microA/mM, more than 87 times that of the MWCNT-based one. Moreover, NCNTs exhibit striking analytical stability and reproducibility, which enables a reliable and sensitive determination of glucose by monitoring H2O2 produced by an enzymatic reaction between glucose oxidase/glucose or choline oxidase/choline at +0.3 V without the help of the electron mediator. The NCNT-based glucose biosensor has a linear range from 2 to 140 microM with an extremely high sensitivity of 14.9 microA/mM, and the detection limit is estimated to be 1.2 microM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The results indicate that the NCNTs are good nanostructured materials for potential application in biosensors.